Eugenic Sterilization Precedent Record

PROBLEM: In Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927), the Supreme Court upheld Virginia's compulsory sterilization law 8-1, with Justice Holmes writing "Three generations of imbeciles are enough." Carrie Buck, 18, was sterilized on October 19, 1927; later research showed she was of ordinary intelligence and had been raped, and her daughter was a bright student. At least 60,000 to 70,000 Americans were forcibly sterilized under state eugenics laws, continuing into the 1970s. California forcibly sterilized roughly 20,000 people in state-run facilities from 1909 to 1964 — more than any other state. Buck v. Bell has never been expressly overturned. A Supreme Court decision that authorized forced surgery on tens of thousands of people still stands on the books, and no single public record states its full toll in one place.

SOLUTION: A eugenic sterilization precedent record: the Buck v. Bell decision, the state laws it enabled, and the documented count of people sterilized under each — so a precedent that was never overturned is on the record with its consequences attached.

EVIDENCE BASIS: DOCUMENTED — Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200 (1927), 8-1, Holmes; Carrie Buck sterilized Oct 19, 1927; later research (ordinary intelligence; rape; bright daughter); 60,000–70,000 Americans sterilized, into the 1970s; California ~20,000, 1909–1964; Virginia ~8,300; North Carolina ~7,600; never expressly overturned. Sources: Buck v. Bell opinion; Gould, Natural History, Jul 1984; Cohen, "Imbeciles" (2016); FEE, 2026.